Controversy? Try Garden-Variety Hypocrisy
OK, so enough is enough. I, as I’m sure most, have been inundated with “updates” on the controversy surrounding Obama’s honorary degree from and graduation speech at Notre Dame University. I have to admit, I do not agree with abortion (unless under rather severe circumstances) but this controversy is beyond idiotic. For one second, let’s get over the fact that whether we voted for him or not, Obama is our president. His beliefs are not the issue to me. What is the issue here is the extreme hypocrisy being extended towards him. I do not wish to point fingers, however I find it incredible how this group of people can be protesting, heckling, etc. a person who simply believes in abortion, yet a Catholic priest who sodomizes young boys is given far better treatment and with far less media attention. This is an absolute outrage and personally, very upsetting. As people who believe in Christ, we have an obligation to love those with different beliefs and lifestyles from our own, but here I only see hate. I do not have any ties with Obama other than the respect owed to the President of the United States, but even that impersonal tie is enough for me to truly feel for this man who is afflicted for a single belief in his expansive set of beliefs. What makes this even more inane is the fact that the belief under attack is something that would never in a million years be brought up in a commencement speech, especially by someone such as the President.
Sadly, this points to a greater issue in Christianity. This hypocrisy cited in this specific issue is not limited to this instance by any stretch of the imagination. Myself included, Christians represent some of the most paradoxically hypocritical set of ideals witnessed today. Publicly we preach love and show others how tolerant, kind and charitable we are, but deep down, we still are no better than anyone; no, not even Hitler. Let’s get over ourselves, because while we have been given many gifts, we ourselves are not God’s gift to the world, we just chose to accept Him.